Danno's Bio

I've used this bag for a little over a year now for cold weather camping down to 10'F. It is very warm and compressible, without being as vulnerable to moisture or as expenisve as down bags are. At 10'F, I was comfortable all night wearing only baselayers, although I did preemptively "cheat" by throwing a nalgene bottle full of hot water down into the footbox. Gripes: 1)thin shell material easily gets caught in the zipper, 2)stuffing this bag into it's standard compression sack is a struggle. Being mindful of the zipper has more or less fixed the 1st problem, and a bigger, waterproof compression sack solved the second. This bag is way too hot for warm weather, but I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in it while deployed as long as I kept my tiny room's AC cranked to max.

This thing is warm, tough, and stretchy. The stretchiness comes in handy when you want to roll the bottom up onto your head to wear like a super padded beanie, for when you are in non-ninja mode. I think the big white TNF logo in the center of the forehead is less than subtle and begs for attention, but then again who wears a balaclava to look cool?

This is a very well designed, rugged pack for rucking up to 50 lbs of gear. It's a bit heavy, but the exceptional suspension completely negated this for me. I love the multiple access options, burly shoulder staps, easy on-the-fly adjustability,and strap/buckle backup options. If you're feeling sporty, you can adjust the top compression straps to allow you to load this thing about 7 inches taller than the bag appears in the pictures here. The only thing I wish they would add is a daisy chain for lashing on more external gear.

My JB has accompanied me on multiple overnight hikes and one long deployment over the last year. Durable, reliable, efficient. This is not the stove you want for cooking beanie weenies next to your camper, but it is perfect for lightweight hikers/climbers for rapidly and efficiently boiling water for food, coffee, sleeping bag hot water bottles. To maintain efficiency for early morning brew-ups, keep your fuel canisters warm in your sleeping bag while you sleep. I was stung by the hot steam a few times while pulling the lid off after boiling, but I eventually figured out why they put a small hole in the rubber lid - for threading a dummy cord from the lid to the handle on the cup! 1 gripe: the needle valve is not very functional. Your intensity options are basically off, full throttle, and afterburner... Perfect for quick boiling, bad for much else...

I've had this jacket for about a month now, and I am loving it. Great warmth to weight, breathable, and awesome fit (if you are not big in the belly dept). I dig the lack of logo placement except under the back collar. This time of year in the Pac NW, walking down the street it seems like every person you pass is rocking out their North Face Denali fleece. I like the look of the Denali, but it is way too standard-issue these days. I believe this one looks better and feels much warmer than the Denali I had years ago. I've been warm down to 15'F in this thing wearing only a light sweater underneath. Its not a windproof fleece, but it is a great insulating piece under a shell. Two very minor gripes: 1)The tail of the jacket hangs a little low unless you drawstring it tight and tuck it up, 2)Would be nice to have a patch of vinyl on the elbows for abrasion protection when out in the world. I'm 5'11", 160 lbs, and the medium is a nice athletic fit for me.

Great mug for easy cooking and cleaning. I'm a jetboiler, so I like to use the JB cup only for boiling water, which I then pour into a food pouch or the Fairshare, depending on what I'm cooking. This thing is perfect for chucking in 2 packs of ramen noodles. Fill with boiling water, screw the lid on, shake it up, and let it sit until the noodles are nice and squishy. Then pass the love around the campfire. This mug is a big mofo, so I'd recommend using a tiny biner to attach to the outside of your pack rather than sacrificing a lot of your pack's internal space.

Love these glasses. I just ordered my second pair (gunmetal), as the 1st set got swiped by an evil 'Bloody Mary' fueled woman who wanted to "try them on". Great looking pair of shades, and they fit great on my girthy head without requiring me to MacGuyver them to fit. Perfect for driving, and I've even used them for actual "aviating" (the ear pieces are more comfortable than most underneath an aviation headset).